The Elk....SUPERSIZED!

My dad is adding on a big addition to our cabin ("The Elk") in Buena Vista, Colorado....very exciting to say the least! When it's all said and done, it will have 5 bedrooms and 5 baths! The construction began and few weeks ago and should be done by the beginning of Fall. I can't wait to see the end result! Here are a few pictures of the work in progress....

Crazy Eights!

I've been tagged by Allison and Karen, so I figured I better continue the tagging (in true blog etiquette) or Karen said she would hurt me....literally.

Tag Rules...
1. Mention the person who tagged you.
2. Complete the list of 8's.
3. Tag 8 of your wonderful blog friends!

8 things I look forward to:
1. Welcoming my hubby home from Zambia on June 7th.
2. Marina's baby shower on June 7th.
3. Going to Destin, FL for my cousin's wedding June 10th-14th
4. Celebrating our 4 year wedding anniversary on June 17th.
5. Traveling to Greece and Turkey on the Journeys of Paul trip June 21 - July 6 with my mom, Josh, brother and sister-in-law...it's going to be a trip of a lifetime....THANK YOU MOM!!! (yes, June is jammed packed with fun....I can't wait!)
6. Road trip with my best friends Caroline, Karen and Lucy in August....we are driving Caroline to her new home all the way up in Philly.
7. Going back to Zambia...sooner than later, I hope!
8. Getting pregnant

8 things I did yesterday (Memorial Day):
1. Made cinnamon toast for breakfast (my favorite weekend treat).
2. Worked on seating assignments and the wedding program for my wedding this weekend.
3. Google chatted with my hubby in Zambia.
4. Shaved my legs.
5. Went to my brother's to hang by the pool with the family and enjoy my current read (Something Blue).
6. Went to my in-laws for dinner.
7. Took rice krispie treats to our new neighbors to welcome them to Tupelo Drive!
8. Watched The Bachelorette and Jon and Kate Plus 8.

8 things I wish I could do:
1. Sing
2. Play the piano
3. Long distance running (and enjoy it)
4. Speak another language fluently
5. Travel the world with Josh (whenever we wanted to, which is a lot...there are so many places we want to go together)
6. Eat and not gain weight (wouldn't that be fabulous!)
7. Sew
8. Calligraphy

8 shows I watch:
1. American Idol
2. Dancing with the Stars
3. Jon and Kate Plus 8
4. The Bachelor/Bachelorette
5. The View
6. The Today Show
7. The Office
8. Grey's Anatomy

8 bloggers I tag:
1. Julie Rives
2. Erin Mueller
3. Amber Massay
4. Lindsay Terry
5. Leslie Lowe
6. Lauren Lukefahr
7. Allison Pennington
8. Liz Griffin

Driving Kaci Crazy....

If you're a follower of my blog, then you know that my dog Kaci is enthralled by the TV, especially when she sees/hears kids and animals on the screen. Some of her favorite shows are Jon & Kate Plus 8 (she loves the sounds of all the kiddos) and anything on Animal Planet. Currently, the Kia Soul hamsters are driving her crazy....she goes nuts every time that commercial comes on. Those hamsters are cruisin for a bruisin...especially if Kaci gets a hold of them!

Videos from Zambia...

Josh visited a few of Family Legacy's Community Resource Centers, located throughout Lusaka, to play with the kids and make food drops. The Community Resource Centers are designed to be a safe-haven for any child who needs a place to go if he or she is in an unsafe situation. Here are a few videos from Josh's visit....

Time to play...



Time to eat sweets...



Time to say goodbye...

Great Joy...

Josh was able to see my group of girls from last year at Camp LIFE yesterday! He treated the girls to cake and soda pop (they were thrilled to say the least) and was able to spend some quality time with them! Five of my girls were not able to be there, which makes me sad, but I'm thankful that the majority of the group was able to come. I made each of them signs with bible verses and pictures of us last year at Camp LIFE that I sent with Josh to Zambia. Josh said they were so excited about the signs! I so wish that I could have been there yesterday....but it brings me great joy to know that Josh was able to love on them and bring a little happiness to their day! Here are some pictures of the special reunion.....

The whole gang...

(I'm sorry....but my husband is so cute)

Karen....Josh and I sponsor Karen through Family Legacy's Father's Heart Child Sponsorship Program.


Natasha...


Sarah...


Esther...


Onester...


Prisca...


Mevis...


Maureen...


Sarah, Mevis and Karen...

Right out of a fairy tale...

Brent popped the question yesterday (in true DFW Events fashion, of course) and Alison said YES!!!! Alison is my co-worker (we've shared an office for 3 years now) and Brent has been a friend of mine since freshman year at A&M. They are the perfect match and I couldn't be more excited for them! Here are a few pictures (courtesy of Edmonson Photography) of the perfect (and sweetest) proposal....enjoy!

Truly a wonderland...


Unbelievable...


The reaction I think Brent was looking for...


Sweet relief....she said YES!!


Check out that ROCK....Brent did GOOD!


Congratulations Ali and Brent!! Can't wait for the big day!!

XOXO,
Mindy

Going to the Chapel....Destin Style!

My cousin, Ashley, is getting married next month in Destin! We are so excited to add Chris to the family. He is a great guy and a perfect match for Ashley! Last weekend we hosted a couple's shower for Ashley and Chris at my mom's house. Since they are saying "I Do" in the sand, we embraced the beach theme and ran with it! The party was a huge success and so much fun! Marina designed the invitations...and they were darling, of course!



Outdoor decor...we painted pillows with their names...


Tiki torches lead guests to the front door...


We filled an urn with fun beach items...


Ashley's new last name will be "Cooper"


Our bride and groom, Ashley and Chris! As guests arrived, we served them rum punch in plastic coconuts!


The yummy food table!


A cute sign on the food table...


We wrote on flip-flops to label all of the food...


Mom and I worked really hard on these cakes! They were delicious!


Hung from the kitchen chandelier...


More chandelier decor...


We wrote cute "love" sayings on the flip-flops...


Beverages...


Back patio decor....the lanterns are battery operated...very cool.


My beach babe...


We can't wait to be in Destin next month to celebrate Ashley and Chris' wedding! We leave for Destin 3 days after Josh gets back from Zambia. I'm counting down the days!

Congratulations Ashley & Chris!!!

Bon Voyage:::

Update::::Josh made it safely to Zambia! Thank you for your prayers while he traveled!

My sweet husband left yesterday for Zambia for 3 1/2 weeks. He's so excited to get there...and I'm so excited for him, but to be honest, I'm also very sad to see him go and very sad that I'm not going with him. Camp LIFE is such an awesome experience and I'm so sad to be missing it this summer.

During his 3 weeks there, Josh will help prepare for Camp LIFE with the other Family Legacy staff (the first week of Camp LIFE starts in 2 weeks), get to watch the first few houses of the Tree of Life Village open (PRAISE JESUS!), continue working on in implementing new technology into the Zambian Family Legacy office, and improving Camp LIFE processes (I could go into a lot of detail here, but I'll spare you the details and keep this post short and sweet). So, needless to say, he has a lot to accomplish during his time there. Please keep Josh and the rest of the Family Legacy staff in your prayers this summer......for safe travels, health, rest, sweet time with the Lord, that they would be able to accomplish everything on their "to do" list....and most importantly, that the lives of the Zambian children would be changed and filled with the love, hope and grace of of Jesus Christ.

Here are a couple pictures of Josh yesterday right before we headed to the airport. He had 4 suitcases (all packed to the rim and right at the weight limit...50 lbs per bag) and a backpack...



His "I'm sad to leave my wife" look....



A last little smooch...



I just Google chatted with Josh....he had an 11 hour layover in London Heathrow. His flight for Lusaka leaves at 7:05pm London time, 1:05pm Dallas time. The flight from London to Lusaka is a 9 1/2 hours. You can track his flight on this website if you want....I know I will be...I always feel better once he is on the ground! :)

http://flightaware.com/

Type in British Airways, Flight # 255 to track his flight.

While in Heathrow, he reserved a Yotel to stay in so he could get a little rest, take a shower and have Internet access. It's basically a very small hotel room inside the airport....it's pretty cool and he said it was well worth the money! Here's a picture of what it looks like...



I'll be sure to post when I hear from Josh when he lands in Lusaka. Until then, please pray for him. Thank you!

Happy Friday!!!

Hats Off to Lucy Lee Horton!

One of my best friends, Lucy, graduated from DTS on Saturday with a Masters in Biblical Counseling. I am so proud of her...so proud. Way to go Luc(e). I love you!


Counselor Horton....Isn't she pretty!?


Ruth, Jack (Lucy's nephew), Karen, The Graduate, Me and Caroline.

For the glory of L♥VE...

I heard this winner of a song on the way home from work today....I couldn't help but turn up the volume and sing from the top of my lungs...I didn't care who saw me.

Chicago - Peter Cetera - The Glory Of Love
Uploaded by catrin345 - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

One day, Josh WILL sing this to me....while karate chopping a block of wood, of course. Thank you, Peter Cetera, for creating such a remarkable song. It gets me every time.

And, yes...I listen to 103.7 Lite FM quite frequently....it's the only station in Dallas that actually plays those awesome 80's love ballads...and I L♥VE it! :)

Our family has grown by 8 feet!

While Marina and Chris are in Florida on their babymoon, we've inherited their two adorable pups, Penny Lane and Sophie! Chloe and Kaci are loving the company....they were so excited last night when they realized that Penny and Soph were sleeping over and not going home after a few hours of playing. They play non-stop!

What can I say...I'm a busy mom of four!

For JOY Comes in the Morning::::Psalm 30:5

Thanks to God's mercy and grace in our lives, joy sure does come in the morning! Praise Jesus for that!

Joy also comes in the morning for me in the form of Tropicana's Valencia Orange Juice with Mango. This stuff is amazing....by far the best OJ I've ever had, especially in a chilled glass...delicious! A great way to start your day. You've got to try it!

Serious Bonus Points

My sweet husband gained some serious bonus points this past weekend for 2 reasons....

1) I came home from my wedding late Saturday night with 2 immaculately clean bathrooms.

2) For the first time (after almost 4 years of marriage), he went to the store all by himself and purchased tampons for his needy wife...with no complaining I might add. He claims he purchased the biggest box he could find, so he would never have to do that again.

Thanks, honey....you're



on my mind!

XOXO!!!